Chapter 840: Chapter 840: The Promise of Bribe

"Stop!"

Everyone turned to look at the person who dared to stop the ruthless swordsman, a name Noah had come to be known as in the last year.

It was not that the person wanted to stop Noah and demand a toll, but he was too shaken with fear and instinctively demanded he stop.

Now that the arrow was shot, he could not take it back. So the group could only bite the bitter pill.

"You cannot go ahead without a toll." Had they let him pass, things would have ended there, but now it had come to the pride and ego of the group, so they were no longer willing to back down.

The broad-shouldered leader stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon. Despite the visible fear in his eyes when he looked at Noah, he didn’t back down.

"We know what you’re capable of, black hair," he said, his voice wavering slightly. "We’ve seen what you can do. But this time is different."

Noah’s expression remained unchanged, cold as winter frost. "Do you think I care about what your pea-sized brain can think of? Get out of the way." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"How dare you?!" if he was annoyed before, the leader could no longer control himself and flew into a rage. He raised his arms and started throwing punches at Noah.

Boom!

Just as his fist was an inch away from Noah’s chest, it suddenly glowed with red mist.

"Is this his source of confidence?" Yuan Ming narrowed his eyes, seeing the bloody aura surrounding the mist of the leader.

It was not that his cultivation had been released but a sign that the man had comprehended advanced-level mastery over the demonic cultivation technique.

The leader grinned wildly, thinking he had caught Noah off guard, but the next second his face shook in horror.

His fist was stopped right before it could strike Noah. A hand covered in thick red aura, one that was solid enough to feel like metal.

"P-perfection..."

Splash!

The man had barely uttered a word lightly before Noah used his other hand to smash his head on the ground.

The head of the leader exploded into countless bits and pieces, which were sent flying in all directions.

The rest of the group members looked at Noah as if they had lost their souls. They could not even register what they had just witnessed.

Noah ignored their reaction and stepped forward.

The thin woman spoke shakily, barely holding herself together. "This is Supervisor Gui’s domain. His dwelling is right there."

She pointed toward the cave opening where the supervisor rested. "You think he’ll tolerate bloodshed near his personal chambers? You think he’ll allow you to kill freely so close to his throne?"

Noah tilted his head slightly, as if genuinely considering this.

"So you’re counting on the supervisor to protect you," he said quietly. It wasn’t a question since he already knew the answer.

The woman seemed to have gained some confidence, thinking Noah was wary of the supervisor. "That’s r-right. We have the protection of the supervisor. He agreed to look after us in exchange for the blood pills."

Noah did not utter a word; he just stood beside Yuan Ming, deep in thought.

While the thin woman smirked, mistaking Noah’s calm tone for acceptance. "That’s right. So either pay the toll or—"

"No." But he did not waste a second to break her delusions.

Noah unsheathed the sword on his waist and stepped forward.

"I think I said this before," Noah said, his voice dropping to something colder, more dangerous. "Don’t get in my way; there will be no second time."

"Are you insane?" the thin woman hissed. "We just told you—the supervisor will—"

Swish!

Noah silenced the woman by cutting the head of the participant closest to him right before her eyes.

Feeling the hot splash of blood touching her face made the woman’s blood run cold.

The strength in her knees gave out as she trembled in fear. "Supervisor Gui... please help us. You promised."

She whimpered, but there was no reply.

The silence lasted longer than it should, and Noah’s lips curled up in a dangerous smile.

Another boy stepped forward with a blade, not willing to die at Noah’s hands without a fight. But it only ended up with the same result.

The broad-shouldered youth’s eyes went wide with shock.

His hand fell from his weapon, moving instead to the knife protruding from his neck. Blood poured between his fingers as he tried to speak, but only a wet gurgle emerged.

He fell to his knees, then collapsed forward, dead.

The remaining guards panicked, some rushing toward Noah with weapons drawn, others turning to flee toward Supervisor Gui’s chamber, still others screaming for help.

Noah continued his carnage until not a single soul was left alive.

When he finally stopped, his blade was completely red with blood. Noah turned his head and looked in the direction of a certain cave where supervisor Gui was standing there, watching him with a faint smile on his face.

After a simple look Noah looked back and stepped into the pond, ignoring the bodies. Yuan Ming, who was still not calm after watching the carnage, snapped out of his daze and entered the pond as well.

...

"You really thought I cared about your pathetic bribes?" As he walked back into his cave, supervisor Gui whispered under his breath; his voice dripped with disdain. "A few Blood Qi Pills? That’s nothing. Less than nothing."

That was one of the reasons he did not make a move just now. Even though blood qi pills were not worth anything to him, he could sell them in bulk to earn some benefits.

The reason he did not act was because he was afraid of the eyes watching him through the array.

It was fine as long as he took a bribe but did not act against the cult’s benefits or hindered the test in favor of anyone.

So he simply claimed the bribe with empty promises.

...

After washing up in the pond for five minutes, Noah turned to Yuan Ming and said, "It is about time I help you with ’that.’"